tolcloser look
The pros and cons of mRNA flu shots
Molly Ferguson for STAT
The world needs effective flu shots, and mRNA vaccines would seem to be the ideal candidate to shake up the flu vaccine market. They are quick to develop, and their first case study — Covid-19 — made history. But while there would be benefits in applying mRNA technology to influenza vaccines, there would be challenges, too, experts told Helen Branswell.
A flu mRNA vaccine could allow for a much more rapid immunization response in the event of a flu pandemic. But potential obstacles include public hesitation toward mRNA vaccines, concerns about side effects and costs, and questions about the wisdom of combining Covid-19 and flu vaccines. Plus, using mRNA technology only to produce vaccines that target seasonal flu might just be a tremendous waste of potential. Read more.
health care
Most patients can't afford to pay medical bills right away
Only a small minority of patients, less than 30%, pay their medical bills immediately and in full, according to a survey by AccessOne, a digital patient payments platform. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the survey found, people postpone paying medical bills because they can't afford to cover them in full, and only a small minority (less than 5%) do so despite having sufficient funds.
This inability to cover health expenses means that a significant portion of patients, particularly among the younger generations, put off getting health care: One in three Gen Zers and Millennials, and one in four Gen Xers, report delaying a screening appointment to save money.
science
Understanding autism at the molecular level
Researchers have known what genes are connected to autism for over a decade. New research shows how the proteins that are encoded by genes linked with autism connect with one another and form patterns, and how mutations of the genes end up breaking or modifying such interactions.
The study, hosted on the open-access preprint server bioRxiv, has not yet been peer-reviewed. Researchers used technology such as AI protein mapping and mini-brain modeling to gain understanding of the molecular mechanisms affected by gene mutations. They say this presents an opportunity to identify new treatment targets for autism, as well as other diseases with mechanisms that could be studied through the same methodology.
"This is a proof of principle," said Nevan Krogan, director of the Quantitative Biosciences Institute at the University of California San Francisco and a lead author of the research, told STAT. "But the sky's the limit now as we turn this loose across many disease areas."
No comments